My dog bites at my hand & feet and jumps a lot. How can I get rid of these behaviors?

Full Question:

Hello,

I got a beautiful english lab at 7 weeks old. Now she is 7 months old. She is very smart, but dominant. Since she was a pup she keeps biting my hands, feet and jumps a lot.

The biting has gotten worse. If my husband and I are watching television, she will growl and try to nip at us. We correct her but she then jumps back and growls and tries again to bite. Different levels of growling and running around our condo like crazy dog until she wears herself out.

We have put a leash on inside it helps a bit to calm her down. How can I get rid of this behavior?

We did enroll her in puppy class but a lot of our issues are indoor behavior.

Also, the jumping is extremely bad and she is strong. She jumps up on the kitchen counters even after saying no to her. Walking into her or putting your knee up just makes her more excited.

Help me please.

Cindy's Answer:

Your dog needs to be on leash ALL the time or in a crate.
She’s being pushy and you need to take the control of your house back now or it will escalate.

Start with our groundwork program and Pack Structure for the Family Pet DVD will help.

I would also make sure that she’s get adequate exercise every day, because behavior like this may also be an expression of pent up energy. A tired dog is a good dog. Mental exercise is important too. I would read our article on training dogs with markers and watch The Power of Training Dogs with Markers DVD.

We also have a number of eBooks, which include topics that may help you.

I hope this helps.

Cindy Rhodes

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